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Willson Contreras came up big as a pinch-hitter to help his team earn a victory Tuesday. Here are some notes from yesterday’s action around the Caribbean:

Venezuela

PH-1B Willson Contreras replaced Wilson Ramos and recorded two hits, including a two-run homer in the fourth inning, to boost the Tigres de Aragua to a win over the Tiburones de La Guaira in the round robin portion of the Venezuelan postseason. However, with just two games remaining, the Tigres have been eliminated from postseason play. The top two teams advance to the final, and Aragua can finish no better than third.

Puerto Rico

SS Javier Baez went 0-for-4 as the Cangrejeros de Santurce fell to the Indios de Mayaguez in the first game of Puerto Rico’s championship series.

Dominican Republic

CF Junior Lake finished 0-for-4 in the Estrellas de Oriente’s 5-3 loss to the Gigantes del Cibao. The best-of-nine championship series is now tied at two games apiece.

Over the weekend, the Cubs hosted the 30th annual Cubs Convention, a sold-out event at the Sheraton Hotel and Towers in downtown Chicago. Thousands of fans got the opportunity to mingle with current, former and future North Siders, in addition to getting autographs and taking in a wide variety of informative panels. Vine Line was there for all the action, from the opening ceremonies, to Cubs Bingo, to Friday Night with Ryan Dempster.

And in case you were unable to attend the three-day spectacle, catch up on what you missed with our panel recaps:

South Bend Cubs players will be able to relax here before and after games. (Photo courtesy of the South Bend Cubs)

At the conclusion of the minor league season, the dance begins. Player development contracts between major and minor league teams expire, often resulting in a frantic search for new partners.

This fall, the Cubs were the belle of the ball with three openings, all at the Single-A level. And it’s easy to see why, as the organization has one of the most widespread and devoted fan bases in all of sports.

“With the Cubs on WGN for all those years, every TV in America was able to pick up Cubs games,” said Director of Player Development Jaron Madison. “In almost every area of the country, you’ll find Cubs fans.”

The team chose two of its new affiliates for the usual reason: they offered better facilities. After striking a deal with the Short-Season Eugene Emeralds, the Cubs will now assign newly drafted players and young prospects to a state-of-the-art complex on the University of Oregon campus.

The Emeralds share PK Park with the school, which reinstated its baseball program in 2010. Set in the shadow of the Ducks’ football facility, Autzen Stadium, PK Park has all the latest training and clubhouse facilities big league organizations need.

“One area we don’t mess around with is player development,” said Cubs President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein. “Our success will be impacted in large part by how we develop our young players and get them ready for the big league level.”

One of the tougher decisions the Cubs faced was moving the Low-A affiliate from Kane County, located just 40 miles down the road from Wrigley Field, to South Bend, Indiana. Madison said the organization was satisfied with the Kane County partnership and was ready to re-up, but South Bend impressed Cubs executives with a list of improvements, including upgrades to the turf, video room and clubhouse at Four Winds Field, and the construction of a new strength-and-conditioning facility. The team even rebranded itself, changing its name from the South Bend Silver Hawks to the Cubs.

“The owner there was committed to wowing the Cubs and really making us a part of their community,” Madison said. “They went all out with the presentation [and] with all the upgrades they were willing to make.”

As for the change to High-A Myrtle Beach, the organization wasn’t necessarily swayed by facilities. It was more about the weather. Cubs fans who have climbed atop the third-base bleachers at Jackie Robinson Ballpark in Daytona Beach, Florida, know they can get a great view of the marina and downtown area. They also get a good look at advancing storm fronts blowing in.

In the last three seasons, the Daytona Cubs have suffered 33 rainouts, second most in the Florida State League to Lakeland’s 34.

“It puts a lot of strain on the players to have to play rescheduled games on their days off and back-to-back doubleheaders,” Madison said. “It’s no fault of anyone in Daytona. When Myrtle Beach became available, we knew we’d get more consistency with the weather and more getting our games in on time.”

The decision to move ended a fruitful 22-year relationship with Daytona that culminated in back-to-back years of record attendance at Jackie Robinson Ballpark. It was easily one of the longest affiliations in professional baseball.

But player development isn’t about looking back. It’s about the future, and Madison likes where his prospects will be headed for at least the next several years.

From hot stove rumors to fan engagement, social media has become a game changer in sports. Led by Vine Line magazine’s Editor-in-Chief, Gary Cohen, this event discussed the role of social media in today’s game from the perspective of Cubs pitcher Kyle Hendricks, broadcaster Len Kasper, cubs.com writer Carrie Muskat and Cubs communications manager Kevin Saghy.

Over the last decade, the way people obtain information has drastically changed. Instead of receiving a morning newspaper regarding yesterday’s news, information is passed along in up-to-the-minute fashion.

To wrap up Saturday night’s convention, the Cubs introduced a new panel to the fan fest in #CubsSocial. The panel explained how receiving information quickly has altered the way the Cubs operate from a broadcast standpoint to the players themselves.

Saghy explained that through social media outlets like Twitter, he has better connected fans to the organization, with state lines and distance no longer an issue. Using the Cubs’ twitter feed, he is now able to communicate and better interact with fans.

“Social media is a conversation,” Saghy said. “If you want to reach out to the team, we’re out there.”

For Muskat, who started following the Cubs in 1987, the quick-news ways of today has drastically altered the way she works. Mandated to get out 10 tweets (normally accompanied by stories), news is funneled quickly through her various accounts. Despite leading all MLB.com writers in annual tweets in 2014 and having stories read in more than 140 countries, she admits she sometimes likes the old days, where news wouldn’t escape as quickly.

She said she likes the times when she could just hang with the good, vocal managers like Don Zimmer, and take notes with pen and paper. In today’s world, the manager is more guarded, potentially out of fear of saying something that isn’t politically correct. That said, Muskat acknowledges that most of her traffic is due to today’s media tools.

Like most people with Twitter accounts, Hendricks isn’t shy to follow fellow athletes. He said he follows athletes he admires and even obtains some information on the team he represents through social media. The 25-year-old Dartmouth grad doesn’t limit his information gathering solely to sports as he credits Twitter with most of his world and U.S. news info. But as a professional athlete, he typically limits his tweeting to a few times a month, as he’s aware that things could often get taken out of context.

Kasper loves Twitter.

“Twitter is the greatest thing in life,” the Cubs’ TV voice said.

Even though he has nearly 40,000 followers, he believes the biggest point towards his online following is being responsible. Kasper said one of the downsides to the tool is the anonymity the site provides.

“There are things people say to me on Twitter that I know they wouldn’t say to my face,” Kasper said.

He credits the social media evolution for making some of his broadcasts more interesting and is constantly following during games in case a topic is brought up that is suitable for the broadcast not excluding a big trade or a minor league promotion. As Muskat stated, it has been resourceful for players like Miguel Montero, who found out he was traded from the Diamondbacks to the Cubs in early December via his Twitter account.

If you’re looking for more Cubs information, be sure to follow Vine Line at @cubsvineline.

In addition to providing an update on the organization’s accomplishments and progress, the Business Operations Update gave fans additional insight into what to expect at Wrigley Field next season. From the overall expansion and restoration of Wrigley Field to the new video board, Cubs executive leadership covered a wide range of important topics related to the 2015 season.

All great plans have minor setbacks. That may be the case for the 2015 plans of the extensive 1060 Project, the stadium-wide renovation of Wrigley Field. During Saturday afternoon’s business panel, a panel that continued its trend of being one of the most attended, the Cubs announced that the bleacher restoration will not be ready for the start of the 2015 season.

The left-field bleachers are expected to be ready in early May while the right-field bleachers hope to be prepared by late May. That said, the new scoreboard in left field will be up and running come Opening Day, while the scoreboard in right field should be ready in May.

Bleacher season-ticket holders have been given three options on their tickets for the first few series: receive a credit on their account, relocation on tickets, or a full refund on the game tickets. Those fans have until the end of January to let the Cubs know of their decision.

“This is about trying to get this project done right instead of cutting corners,” said Carl Rice, the vice president of ballpark operations.

It wasn’t all bad news from the panel, as business president Crane Kenney announced the Cubs have more season ticket holders today than any time in the organization’s history, and could possibly have the most in the league. Season ticket renewals were also at 90 percent.

Though there may be a delay in the 2015 plans, the Cubs’ concourse restoration has actually made 2016 renovation plans ahead of schedule. The 2015 delay has also not slowed plans for new clubhouse construction, which was planned to be finished prior to 2016. The organization plans to work all season long to ensure its completion.

“We’re getting ahead of next year’s project, now,” Kenney said.

In terms of the new video boards, the panel unveiled what types of graphics and images would be displayed going forward. Concepts were divided into five categories: game replays, in-game stats, historical videos of the club, in-season team videos and other scores around baseball. Though the new video boards will be nothing short of state of the art, the Cubs intend to have the text graphics look similar to the historic scoreboard in center field. The Cubs showed simulations as to what the scoreboard would look like on an in-game basis. They’ll combine the classic look with some some full-color animated images. They wanted to remind people the purpose of the boards is to enhance the game-day experience, not detract.

With the new TV deals, some fans are concerned they’ll be blacked out for a vast majority of Cubs games in the near future. Kenney said the team is willing to contact outlets like MLB.TV, should something not be worked out.

It was a quiet day Tuesday in the Caribbean, as only the Dominican League was in action. Both Frank Batista and Junior Lake had solid performances in their respective team’s victories. Here are some notes from yesterday’s games in the Dominican:

Dominican Republic

RHP Frank Batista surrendered one run in 3.1 innings to pick up his first postseason victory in the Aguilas Cibaenas’ win over the Toros del Este. He struck out four as the Aguilas improved to 6-8 in the playoffs.

CF Junior Lake finished with two hits, including a double, as the Estrellas de Oriente defeated the Gigantes del Cibao Tuesday. Lake went 2-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored as the second-place Estrellas picked up a game on the postseason-leading Gigantes in the Dominican playoffs.

Javier Baez had a pair of hits, and Christian Villanueva drove in a run as Caribbean postseason play continued Monday. Here are some notes from yesterday’s action:

Puerto Rico

SS Javier Baez recorded a pair of hits, drove in a run and scored a run in the Cangrejeros de Santurce’s 5-4 win over the Criollos de Caguas. Santurce remains in first place in the round robin postseason, sitting at 6-2.

Mexico

3B Christian Villanueva went hitless, but drove in a run on a sacrifice fly as the Yaquis de Obregon tied the semifinal series against the Charros de Jalisco 1-1 with a win Monday. Villanueva finished 0-for-2 with a walk.

Venezuela

3B Jonathan Herrera went 0-for-3, but the Navegantes del Magallanes picked up a win over the Aguilas del Zulia. Magallanes sits at 5-3, a game out of first place in the postseason round robin.

LHP Joseph Ortiz picked up a loss, surrendering three earned runs on three hits, as the Tiburones de La Guaira fell to the Tigres de Aragua. La Guaira is now 3-5.

Cubs play-by-play announcer Pat Hughes has been named the 2014 Illinois Sportscaster of the Year by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association.

“I’d like to dedicate this award to my wonderful broadcast partner, Ron Coomer, and to the Chicago Cubs fans, the best listening audience in the world,” Hughes said.

This is Hughes’ ninth Sportscaster of the Year honor and his sixth in Illinois, having previously won the award in 1996, 1999, 2006, 2007 and 2009. Hughes was honored as Wisconsin’s Sportscaster of the Year in 1990, 1991 and 1992.

Hughes is entering his 33rd campaign broadcasting big league baseball and his 20th season with the Cubs. The 2015 season will mark his second year teaming with Coomer on the Cubs Radio Network. He and Coomer join their new broadcast home, WBBM Newsradio 780, in 2015.

Javier Baez had a nice day at the plate, and Junior Lake drove in a run in playoff action Sunday. Here are some notes from yesterday’s action around the Caribbean:

Puerto Rico

SS Javier Baez went 1-for-3 with two walks despite his Cangrejeros de Santurce falling to the Gigantes de Carolina in postseason play. He added two runs scored as Santurce lost its second game of the postseason.

Dominican Republic

CF Junior Lake had a hit and drove in a run as his Estrellas de Oriente picked up the win. He finished 1-for-5, and the Estrellas improved to 7-6 in postseason play.

Venezuela

LHP Joseph Ortiz retired the lone batter he faced as the Tiburones de La Guaira secured a victory against the Aguilas del Zulia in postseason round robin play. La Guaira sits at 3-4 and 2.5 games out of first place.

Mexico

3B Christian Villanueva finished 0-for-3 with a walk in the Yaquis de Obregon’s loss to the Charros de Jalisco in Game One of the league semifinals.

Junior Lake hit his first home run of the playoffs, and Christian Villanueva reached base on a double in Thursday’s postseason play. Here are some notes from yesterday’s action around the Caribbean.

Dominican Republic

LF Junior Lake hit a second-inning home run to give the Estrellas de Oriente its first run of the game in a 3-2 loss to the Toros del Este. He finished 1-for-4 as the Estrellas slipped to 4-6 in the postseason.

Mexico

3B Christian Villanueva finished 1-3 with a double, but it was not enough as the Yaquis de Obregon were blanked by the Aguilas de Mexicali, who forced a Game Seven in the first round of playoff action.

Venezuela

3B Jonathan Herrera went 0-for-3 with a walk but scored the Navegantes del Magallanes’ lone run in a 3-1 loss to the Tigres de Aragua. Magallanes sits in the middle of the round robin postseason standings with a 3-2 record.

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